This Present Joy

Inevitably, children say the funniest--and sometimes the wisest--things. Wise because they remove all the fluff from conversation and just get to the heart of the matter rather quickly. And, then, there is the humor factor simply because of the way children may pronounce something or substitute words that sound right. Here are a few that I want to remember forever from my little gals: Carly somehow made up this saying when she wants me or J to remember something: "Remember that, Mom. Don't let it drop out of your mind!" Hannah likes to read Corduroy books--the sweet little bear who has a whole lot of fun making Valentines, having picnics with his friends and going on Easter egg hunts. She likes to refer to him, though, as "Corduboy." Carly woke up one day at Grammy's house and said when she looked outside, "It's a sunshiny day!" Instead of "it doesn't matter", Carly at one point said, "it doesn't care." When Hannah t...

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. J's family came over for lunch and with everyone contributing a bit to the feast, we had just that. One of my favorite parts of our Thanksgiving meal is the cranberry sauce. It's a recipe my grandmother made when I was growing up, and it's absolutely delicious. Not to mention, it makes me think of her when I make it and brings back sweet memories. Another treat for our weekend was Aunt Stephanie coming to town! The girls had a fun time reading with her, playing at the park and going to breakfast. She brought her iPad with her, and Carly fell in love with the iBooks app. Stephanie and Carly sat and read The House at Pooh Corner for a LONG time. I was so close to waking up early on Friday morning for Black Friday sales. I didn't have my heart set on any particular gift item nor was I looking forward to battling crowds. Honestly, I just wanted to experience it. But, I slept in and the experience can wait until next year--or one after t...

For what it's worth, I've written many blog posts in my head since February. I've blogged about Carly's dance recital from May, our trips to Florida and Omaha this summer, swim lessons, the first day of preschool for Carly and Hannah, and multiple in-between moments that represent this stage of life for our family. But, I just haven't gotten them typed from my head to the computer. Two years ago in December, I blogged once a day for 25 days about Things that Bring Joy . It was a fun thing to do but was definitely difficult, at times. So, I'm starting with baby steps. I'm hoping to blog once a week (yikes! I'm going from once every 9 months to once every week. Ha! Ha!) But, I very much want to capture my family's memories in these posts. Last year, I printed a book of my blog for my mom. I used http://www.blurb.com/ for the software, and let me tell you, it was awesome! (fyi, I'm not getting paid by them to wax eloquently about this) Sure, there...

There are those moments you wait for in a child's early days--some with gleeful anticipation and others with more trepidation. This was one of the latter. It's a moment a parent expects. You resign yourself to the fact that it's going to happen at one point--it won't be that big of a deal, really--but it definitely sets the tone of new exploration from that point on. To ward it off, you close doors, you redirect, you monitor more--but it's bound to happen at some point. Really, it's not as bad as it sounds. I knew the noise the minute I heard it. I heard a faint clink-clink and a muted splashing--not a full-out bathtub splash (that would have been impossible--both of my children were not in the bath at the time). I jumped up from my chair and ran into the bathroom, where my youngest daughter was standing attentively at the toilet with her hands dangling over the edge. Her shirt sleeves were soaked and the toilet paper was completely off of the roll, laying in a ...

Preface The H.U.G.E. gap in dates from the last post to this one is one of the big reasons why our summer vacation trips were so necessary. Life is so fast-paced and each day seems to just collide right into the next. Before I know it, weeks have turned into months. This trip was a much-needed break for our family. To just get away from all the hustle and bustle, regroup, re-energize, relax. . . SO, our summer vacation had a Part Two. . . this time, all four of us were able to go. We were headed for Perdido Key, Florida with two other families. The week's agenda included hanging out at the beach, eating, hanging out at the pool, eating, hanging out at the beach. . . perfect vacation! If you can believe it, we departed for Florida about 6 hours after the girls and I arrived home from Omaha. I'm still a little in shock with how my Type A personality was able to overcome that. I didn't have to start packing from scratch--I just had to reorganize suitcases a bit, pack in the wa...

I don't know exactly how many years in elementary school I had to write a response to this question come August or September--but it was more than once. I think most of us in school came to expect the question--a bit like you expect pop quizzes or expect Show 'n Tell to be a part of the school routine. I have no idea if teachers nowadays still ask their students to write a paragraph answering this question, but I'm bringing it back on my own! I feel like my summer started gradually, rolling into June, then it accelerated, speeding through July and now into August. I suppose July went by so quickly because we had a few fun trips planned. After the 4th of July, the girls and I flew up to Omaha to visit Grammy. It was Carly's third time to fly and Hannah's first--making it my first time to fly solo with both of them. I knew Carly would probably do well, since she was older and was easily occupied with stickers or activity books. But, Hannah sitting in my lap for 1 hour...

When I was pregnant with Hannah, I remember having some apprehension about Carly's reaction to having a younger sibling. Would she be jealous of the time we devoted to her sister? Would she feel left out? Would she act out towards her? From day one, she has been the devoted big sister to Hannah Jane. When Hannah was only a week old, Carly trekked up to the hospital ICU with us, clutching a gift bag, ready to deliver a special toy to her little sister. Over the past year, Carly has made Hannah's entire face light up more than anyone else. I don't know if it's the fact that it's another "little person" around, a "little voice" or just the antics of a 3-year-old, but Carly makes Hannah laugh and giggle the most. These are the giggles that tumble over one another--the kind that you want to record and play over and over again. J and I love seeing our girls interact--Carly loving and helpful, Hannah soothed and entertained by her older sister. Of cours...